For its first new set of music since 2000's Warning, Green Day tears up the blueprint and comes up with something unexpected: A punk rock concept album built around elaborate melodies, odd tempo changes, and a collection of songs that freely reference classic rock warhorses like the Beatles and Pink Floyd. "She's A Rebel" and "St. Jimmy" might sound like vintage Green Day but the rest of the disc finds the Northern California trio trying on a variety of different guises: "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is a cliché-strewn Foo Fighters-style power ballad; "Extraordinary Girl" floats on Indian strings; and the hushed "Wake Me Up When September Ends" wouldn't sound entirely out of place on a Jessica Simpson record. It doesn't always work. "Dearly Beloved" eerily resembles the Alarm's "68 Guns" while the title track eerily resembles something Green Day has already done far too many times. But, overall, American Idiot is represents a promising step forward. --Aidin Vaziri ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great cd
Ok well I just have to say that the first time I heard this cd I knew that it would be my favorite greed day cd. I have listened to this cd at least 50 times since I've gotten it! In fact I'm listening to it while im typing this reveiw. My favorite song on the whole cd is holiday and I know that this cd will be my fav. cd for a long time.

I freakin' LOVE this CD
Go get this CD! It is awesome! It has both their traditional punk rock which is always awesome and some more slow music which is also awesome. It's not like any of their other albums before. It's also very opinionated, but you can decide whether that's a good or bad thing. I really don't care! All I know is that this is one heck of a rock opera and a must-have for any Green Day fan!

best cd since kerplunk
this is probally greendays best ccd since kelrplunk almost 10 years ago and its a great cd, get it

green day rox!!!
green day is sik!
1.american idiot 8/10 i loved this song on madden too bad i over played it
2.jesus of suburbia 8/10 catchy a bit long tho still kewl
3.holiday 9/10 'on holiday'
4.blvd of broken dreams 11/10 best song on the cd by far slow rock song but great awsome lyrics catchy tune just awsome
5.are we the waiting 7/10 probably my least favorite song on the cd
6.st jimmy 10/10 awsome i can see this song in the THUG 2 fast and a nawce tune
7.give me novacaine 6/10 i change my mind this is my least favorite slow and annoying i got nothing against slow but...
8.shes a rebel 10/10 catchy lyrics just all around good
9.extraordinary girls 8/10 i hat the begining like tribal drums or something waste of 30 seconds songs ok
10.letterbomb 8/10 ok
11.wake me up when september ends 7/10 catchy lyrics slow and doesnt really go any where remember slow is not bad (take for instence adam?s song by blink)
12.homecoming 8/10 kewl song long though
13.watsername 9/10 slow (see) kewl lyrics
i averaged the scores and got 8.38461538461538461538461538...
im a math idiot
i giv the cd a easy 9/10
buy it!!
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After its most prolonged absence from the recording studio, Sleater-Kinney has reloaded with a smoldering rock and roll record that rivals John Lennons Plastic Ono Band and Nirvanas In Utero in terms of unexpectedness. It is a 180-degree proclamation to the album which came before it. Producer David Fridmann (Weezer, Flaming Lips) coaxed the Portland, OR trio to retool its approach to making music. The results are startling and far and away the most collaborative, experimental and risky in the bands seven-record career. Corin Tuckers supreme guttural form is on display from the lead-off track "The Fox"--a would-be childrens tale overridden by crunching power chords and drummer Janet Weisss battering percussion. The Woods tugs on your ear musically and stabs at your heart lyrically on riff-wielding jaunts "Wilderness," "Modern Girl" and "Rollercoaster." The live-in-one-take, 11-minute blockbuster "Lets Call It Love" unleashes Carrie Brownsteins foray into guitar-solo psychedelic. Havent heard Sleater-Kinney yet? Try Dig Me Out and work your way forward. Already on board? Find a steady chair, feel your ears bleed and watch your speakers disintegrate. --Scott Holter ... Read more

Reviews (22)

THE WOODS?MORE LIKE ENTRACE TO THE WILDERNESS OF GREATNESS
HEAVIER, LOUDER, UNCUT.ACTUALLY ITS CUT BUT IT IS HEAVIER.I MEAN THE ACTUAL ALBUM ART ITSELF WEIGHS IT DOWN BY A GOOD 6-7 GRAMS, NO JOKE.

FIVE STARS.

A new and improved (in ways!) Sleater-Kinney
My initial reaction to the first few seconds of the album was, "How can this fit in Sleater-Kinney's arsenal?" These seconds are filled with raw, grungy, distorted guitars and pounding, bass-heavy drums. This helps me, a devoted fan even in self-titled days, understand why after four relatively successful albums on Kill Rock Stars they would switch to Sub Pop, the label that put out some of the early Soundgarden and Nirvana albums.

When the vocals entered in the first track, "Fox," I was taken back to Sleater-Kinney's world. Corin's vocals are just as simultaneously wild and controlled as ever. As she sang the words, "land-ho!" I imagined she must have been sitting on a vibrating chair in the recording studio.

The second track, "Wilderness," is typical Sleater-Kinney with Hot Rock guitars and Carrie and Corin doing what seems like vocal impressions of each other. "Jumpers" has the classic-to-Sleater-Kinney desperate feel. "Modern Girl" is cheesy at best. "Rollercoaster" has a fun, almost go-go feel to it. "Let's Call it Love," in its eleven minutes, reminds me of the type of humor in which the joke gets so monotonous and annoying that you hate it, and just then, it gets hilarious again. Track placement should have called for "Let's Call it Love" as an ender instead of "Everything," which would be a better song if they weren't putting the album-ender pressure on it.

Very good. 4.5 stars
My impressions: Sleater Kinney listeners will be taken by the freshness of the sound, the different mix. I was wowed! It sounds like the songs were recorded on one track -- it's very organic, yet mature. Underneath all the excitement surrounding a new album though, I'd say this album's quality is about the same as One Beat. I LOVE One Beat; there's not really a weak song on it. The Woods has moments of sheer brilliance and Mrs. Carrie Brownstein's six string investigates new territory not explored by SK previously. The drums are savage and complex. And I got chills once or twice at Corin's wail (love that passionate voice). "Laaaand ho!" Overall, SK remain head and shoulders above most acts today. Definitely worth the money.

The Woods
Mostly very good, though in many places the guitars are mixed way above the vocals, maybe too much. "Modern Girl" is a production disaster, though--a distorted harmonica track? Ugh. "Entertain" falls into that marching-band-drummer thing that Janet Weiss sometimes seems to get stuck in. The bonus DVD was rockin', though the last track could have been recorded better.

Seven albums strong.....
This album is a must-have for any music lover who chooses to see past the blights of American Idol and Britney Spears. For new fans, the band often takes a couple listens but they are worth it. For old fans, get ready to rock with Carrie's stellar guitar and a Sonic Youth-esque jam on "Let's Call it Love".

I have been a fan for about 6 years now and I can honestly say "The Woods" blows everything else out of the water. The lyrics have changed drastically from "One Beat's" overt (though justified) finger-flipping towards Bush. Instead, they come back with nuanced poetry that is far more venomous and subtle.
"The Woods" proves that Sleater-Kinney has that rare ability (ala Sonic Youth and Beck) to always sound like themselves whilst releasing dynamic new albums. Definitely worthy of the title "Rock Album".
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It's hard to pinpoint the exact moment Modest Mouse started sounding like a real band. For the longest time, singer-songwriter Isaac Brock seemed to exist solely to defy the established rules, forging forward on sheer momentum and ingenuity. Even Pavement looked relatively ordinary in comparison to the band's early releases like 1996's This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About and 1997's The Lonesome Crowded West. But on Good News For People Who Love Bad News, the front man sounds like he's finally touching the earth, and the band--minus founding member and drummer Jeremiah Green--follows suit. A relaxed mood prevails, not so much in volume but in attitude. On the follow-up to the group's 2000 major label debut, The Moon & Antarctica, big sloppy melodies battle it out with brass on punky epics like "Float On" and "The Ocean Breathes Salty." The lyrics are simpler, the arrangements tamer, but the vitality remains. The prevailing mood is that Modest Mouse has pulled off something extraordinary here: a well-rounded, lovable record that doesn't sound anything like David Gray. --Aidin Vaziri ... Read more

Reviews (317)

Good News is a Mediocre Album
If you were hoping to a return to roots for Modest Mouse, this isn't the album. This album builds on the direction they were heading with the marginal "Moon and Antarctica" without moving quite far enough away from it. The album doesn't sound formulaic but at the same time, there are no surprises.

"Good News..." starts with a whimper but manages to work it's way into a block of good songs before the album closes out with the flute laden "The Good Times are Killing Me." "Float On" was the obvious up tempo single and the sole bright spot on the first quarter of the album. "Dance Hall" and "Bukowski" start to turn it around but things don't really get going until "The View." Longtime Modest Mouse fans will probably enjoy the last few tracks of the album more than anything else.

The engineering also leaves a lot to be desired. Drum sounds are occasionally tinny, vocals are mixed loud and just like "Moon..." there's an overkill of annoying overdubs and effects. Modest Mouse seems to have lost or abandoned the expansiveness of their earlier work and with it a good portion of their soul. Compared to "Moon" though, "Good News" is warm and highly enjoyable.

Good news...
Good news for people who love Modest Mouse: their new album is a thumbs-up disc. Though the tone isn't really changed from their 2000 hit, "Good News For People Who Love Bad News" is a fluid, haunting branch-out, with wonderful instrumentation and a sort of vaguely mellow feel.

The subtle "World At Large" opens "Good News...", soaked with restlessness and resignation, followed by the magnificent "Float On" and solid "Ocean Breathes Salty." The album stumbles a bit with the frenetic "Dance Hall," but picks itself up with literate lament "Bukowski," wall-smashing rocker "Black Cadillacs," and bouncing "Bury Me With It."

When a band's lineup changes, fans have a right to be nervous. But despite changes in the guitar and percussion sections (they switched drummers in mid-album), Modest Mouse keeps its unique, sweeping sound more or less intact without getting stagnant. It doesn't really move too far in a new direction (except being happier), but it's not a rehash of "Moon and Antarctica" either.

Death and pondering what's next are still the centerpieces of Modest Mouse's creations, from the very catchy "The View" to the searing "Satin In A Coffin." "Are you dead or are you sleeping?" Isaac Brock asks repeatedly in his very quirky (and very fitting) voice. Oddly enough, it's more upbeat than some of their past releases -- which is not very upbeat, but there's a sort of lighter undercurrent to the music.

"Good News..." also benefits from a bit of new blood: drummer Benjamind Weikel is new to the group. He doesn't try to imitate ex-band-member Jeremiah Green, but instead uses his own strong drumming to good effect. Synthesizers, versatile guitars and strong bass are backed up by atmospheric additions like banjos, violins, horns and organs.

Poetry-rock group Modest Mouse is still going strong in "Good News For People Who Love Bad News." While it's not the strongest they've done, it keeps the mood pensive and melancholy without turning it into a pose. Good news!

And it took me this long to buy this CD?
It takes a lot for me to BUY music. I tend to borrow and dl more than anything else, but Good News For People Who Like Bad News is one of the rare CDs that I thought was good enough to spend 10 bucks on. The music is addictive. The World At Large is a lot of fun; Float On, as much as it's the song that introduced me to Modest Mouse, is somewhat eclipsed by other tracks; Ocean Breathless Salty is by FAR my favorite on the album; Bury Me With It reminds me of some other song that I can't put my name on, which is nice; Dance Hall is, surprisingly, the only song that actually got me dancing when I first heard it; Bukowski is my second favorite song... lots of fun, tres memorable; This Devil's Workday is SUCH a good song, it seems like an old old song that hasn't lost it's meaning; The View, I don't particularly care for... it just doesn't fit; Satin In A Coffin is a good enough song, but it doesn't stay with me; Blame It On The Tetons is a very close #3 for me, very relaxing and is closer to most of the other music I usually listen to; Black Cadillacs is eh, sort of iffy; One Chance is something I would expect to be in a sappy teen movie or something; The Good Times Are Killing Me was an excellent end to an excellent CD. Overall, well worth your time and well worth your money.

tragedy strikes
Modest Mouse is one of my all time favorite bands. It was Isaac's raw sound on earlier albums like Lonesome Crowded West and Sad Sappy Sucker that made the band unique and to me and pulsating with energy. Yes, this album is polished, but it is also watered down and much more boring compared to their older, jagged melodies that were throbbing with pain and electric. One would hope that when a band makes it big they're not selling out, but I feel like Modest Mouse just got dumb with their melodies. I for one shed a tear :(

ALRIGHT!
After being let down by Modest Mouse's prior independent releases, I decided to give Good News a shot. I was not let down this time around. Mouse finds the perfect blend of weird and catchiness. Although the weirdness takes the cd off track here and there, as a whole it is pretty good. Standouts for me are the hit "Float On" and "The World at Large" and the rest is slowly growing on me. If you're looking for something fresh in the alternative rock scene, look no further. It's fun and slightly bizarre. Their best album yet.
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If one needed further proof of the contemporary revival/reassessment of the ambitiously overwrought sensibilities once so reviled in 70's rock, this aggressively mind-bending second album by The Mars Volta offers it up in spades. Band mainstays Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Baxter-Zavala insist that labels like "prog" don't interest them, and that this is emphatically not a "sequel" to 2003's De-Loused in the Comatorium. What it is was thematically inspired by a stranger's diary allegedly found by late bandmate Jeremy Ward, the basis for an expansive, often amorphous musical head-trip that brews psychedelia, trance, hard-rock and free-jazz into a daunting new whole. The dozen tracks here represent but five "songs" proper, though the band's disdain for conventional track banding inspire it to sound more like a stream-of-consciousness soundscape from Can--or a dark, lyrically inventive, if decidedly troubled corner of their ids. On the "Umbilical Syllables" portion of "Cygnus.." and "The Widow" Bixter-Zavala invokes the wailing,Zeppelin II & III spirit of Robert Plant set against a feverish, swirling melange that's anything but the blues. The vocalist coaxes "L' Via l'Viaquez" en Espanol, while his band indulges its space-mambo conceits with an evocative spirit that recalls Latin Playboys at their most mischievous. It's an album that loops back on itself in a haunting ellipse--and one whose boundless ambition makes Pink Floyd sound like three-chord bar punters by comparison.--Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (267)

What a waste of talent
After having placed De-loused as the best CD so far in the new millenium, I was really looking forward to their new record. And it has been a major dissapointment. I truly believe these guys are much more talented playing rock than playing prog. And in this CD prog dominates the whole thing. The few moments of rock brilliance are scarce and separated. If De-loused had some moments were songs started to go nowhere, here nowhere is the place where songs reside, appearing only for few moments. Omar has proved again he needs a producer with enough courage to cut songs where they have to. They seem to make longs songs just for the sake of it. Led Zeppelin played a song during 30 minutes and you didn't lose yourself. Here is just you are never found. These guys are probably the most talented guys out there right now. But TMV is having the attitude of the teeneger: rebel without a cause. Knowing they could be the greatest band, they burn their own talent. It is a real shame that such bright people don't understand that the most stupid are the ones who believe they are always right.

I Want My $$$ Back
I don't get what everyone is raving about. This has to be one of the worst albums I have ever purchased. The only redeeming qualities are track 2 and the fact that you can use the CD as a Frisbee.

Unreal, beyond comprehension
This is possibly the most addictive, amazing album I have ever heard. To all those people who complain about the lyrics having no meaning, just take a second to realize that art is a personal thing, even if it is shared with others, meaning is not always something which artists choose to share. This album destroys all pre-concieved notions of what an album should be, what a genre should be. It is beyond description, and probably was meant to be just that. It is literally the best rock album that I know of that has come out since about 1980, and don't try to peg me as a prog fan, this has about as much to do with prog as it does with anything else. It is a melding of all of the musical influences of each member of the band, and as such, it is much more. It is something that must be experienced. If you like top 40 music, just move on. The Widow is the only track that stands a chance of pleasing you, and is easily the weakest track on the album. Seriously folks, this is one of the best rock albums of all time. And I don't say that loosely. I bought this album thinking, well, I'll give it a chance, and within the first couple of minutes it reeled me in. I have listened to it probably 30 times all the way through in the week I have owned it, and I can guarantee that I will listen to it thousands more before I put it on the shelf, if I ever do. One last thought, unless you live nowhere near a "Record Store" you should skip Amazon and go buy it at an INDEPENDENT RECORD STORE. If you live in Alaska or Idaho or something, then go with convenience and buy it from Amazon. They aren't all bad, but they, along with Wal-Mart and Best Buy, are helping destroy small record stores, and so are YOU if you buy from them instead of supporting your local independent store. That said, I like Amazon, but I don't want to lose my local store, so I always try to see if they can get something before I order it from Amazon.

VERY good!
5 stars for the 32 minute song at the end, this album could have been just that song and it would be great. All the other songs are pretty good as well, but number 5 is pure Genius!

MUSIC IS SAVED!!
This is the best music that i've heard since Led Zeppelin IV.I believe that this is the classic rock of our time.Every song contributes to the great story of a person looking for his biological parents.If you do not have this album then you probably should start working on that, broseph.But hey don't overlook this one, seriously.
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Wow
I'm a pretty picky person when it comes to music. I truly enjoy only a handful of bands, and My Chemical Romance has been in my top 3 for a while. I pre-ordered an autographed copy of this cd before it even came out, so even if it sucked I'd probably like it. Anyways, it's completely amazing, just like i knew it would be. I think it would appeal to more people than the first album "I brought you my bullets, you brought me your love", but i don't really see it in a 'sell-out' way. I guess it feels like the general demeanor is not quite as dark and brooding as the previous album.

Track 1 (Helena) is absolutely amazing. The first time i heard it, it reassured me that the album would be just as awesome as the first. 15/10

Track 2 (Give em hell, kid) I personally feel like it's a step down from Helena, but still pretty good. 9/10

Track 3 (To the end) is another one of my favorites, even though it probably wouldn't appeal to a ton of people. 10/10

Track 4 (you know what they do to guys like us in prison) isn't one of my favorites, but it's just awesome because Bert McCracken (of The Used) does some of the screaming and whatnot and almost anything he does amazes me. 9/10

Track 5 (I'm not okay)is the single, not really a song that stands out to me, but it's pretty easy to enjoy. 8/10

Track 6 (The Ghost of You) completely blows me away, it's much softer than most of the cd but it's a beautiful and emotional song. 10/10

Track 7 (The jetset life is going to kill you) is yet another great song, it's louder and faster than the previous song. 9/10

Track 8 (interlude) isn't what I expected, it's much better. Quiet music and Gerard singing very softly, it sounds really beautiful. 9/10

Track 9 (Thank you for the venom) is the 3rd song I previed off of this cd, and WOW. It's amazing. Back to being loud and fast, more punk-feeling than most of the cd. 10/10

Track 10 (Hang em high) is another one I enjoy quite a bit, it starts out kind of country-sounding and then breaks out into erratic, loud, obnoxious music. One of the only songs that Gerard screams on. 11/10

Track 11 (it's not a fashion statement, it's a deathwish) isn't one of my favorites, but I could understand it appealing to other people. 9/10

Track 12 (Cemetary Drive) is tied with track 1 for my personal favorite. Quite a bit softer than the majority of the cd, but with beautiful vocals and awesome lyrics. It's amazing. 15/10

Track 13 (I never told you what I do for a living) isn't one of my favorites, but it's actually a pretty good song. 9/10

Overall an awesome cd, ever since it was delivered to my house on the day it was released (June 8, 2004) it hasn't left my cd player. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Three Cheers for a Decent Album - Read for Advice
In all honesty, the new MYC cd is very, very good. In comparing it with their previous release, "I brought you bullets, you brought me love," I would argue that while both releases are great for different reasons, "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge" might appeal to a broader fan base because of it's slightly more punk-pop songs.

With their first release, what you heard was a raw, emotional sound that was very near hardcore/emocore. I loved their first album and still lose myself on tracks like "Demolition Lovers" and "Cubicles". The sound is just a little less catchy and harder.

However, with Three Cheers, a much more evolved MYC displays a steady continuance of melodic power punk. Gerard Way soars with the same emotion and rawness that made the first release great, but the overall sound behind him sustains a much more poppier sound that moves in a far quicker pace than it's predecessor.

I'm not going to rate every song (even though I appreciate the reviewer's who do) but I will try to evaluate on content. For those who don't know, the album has a distinct concept: It's a love story that centers around man and woman that are both dead, and can be together provided the man completes the devil's work of killing a thousand evil men. If that's not creative, I don't know what is. Every single song tells a piece of the story, and as a listener, you must put the pieces together. I also heard Gerard was in therapy during the writing of this album...go figure...? A lot of people have previously docked MYC as another cheesy thematic band that only focuses on vampires and what not, but I think they are finally starting to receive worthy acclaim.

Bottom line, if morbid stuff like tombstones and dead people is your bag, then buy the album. Buy the album if you like good power-pop music in a severely mislead consumer society. Buy the album if you enjoy anger fuelled music with heavy drumming and incredibly emotional and raw singing. Lastly, buy their first release, which in my opinion, outdoes this one a little...

like it
my chemical romanc is a vry goo band...i liked their last album a little mor but i still listen the three cheers for sweet revenge all the time....i nver listene to post-punk or goth music but my taste in music has a changd a lot after listening to this band....

This is really good.
I understand why people like this band so much because normally I don't listen to this genre, and still it's not my style but I won't deny it's a good album.

good but their 1st was better
i love this cd, but they kinda did sellout on it a little bit and they're not as good anymore. i brought you my bullets, you brought me your love was much better. now theyve been doing mtv interviews and have commercials and i'm sure pretty soon they'll have theyre videos on mtv to.
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The music is great! The message powerful.
I first heard this CD when my son brought it home from a Casting Crowns concert. I borrowed it and never gave it back. I put it in my car CD player, and it stayed there for over a month. I never got tired of it. The message is in your face, and the music ranges from somber and reflective to joyous. The female back up singers add a great compliment to Mark Halls lead vocals. The song "Praise you with the dance" has an awesome almost celtic violin solo that just lifts you up. The whole CD is fantastic and after seeing them live in concert, my wife and I bought 3 more copies to share with our friend and family for Christmas.

Mark Hall is the youth pastor at his church and still holds that position. For him and the band, its all about sharing the messege of faith. The band is actually the Youth praise band at his church. Music runs in Marks family. His father is our music minister at our Church and Mark even took time to sing in our choir at our Christmas concert at Church. He practices what he preaches. It doesn't get any more real. The power of the music can be awesome. When I saw them live I was so moved I had tears in my eyes. Thank You Casting Crowns.

Every song is a winner, you can't go wrong with this CD.

Casting Crowns Don't Dissapoint
I feel I must be honest here and admit that I was at first skeptical about buying this cd. But from the very first time I slipped this into my cd player and heard the first song, all skepticism washed away, and I was hooked.Mark Hall, the lead vocalist, delivers some powerful vocals ("What If His People Prayed", "American Dream") and yet can also tone it down with more subdued vocals("Who Am I", "Your Love Is Extravagant")which give the album variety. Having a female vocalist also keeps the record jumping, however, I must agree with a previous reviewer who mentioned that the last four songs didn't have the quality of writing like the first six did. "Your Love is Extravagant" was a great way to end the album, but the three previous songs just don't really fit with the rest of the record. Having said that, although the album would have been better if the writing and songs had been more consistent and flowed better together, this is still a great first album. This is also one of the only cd's I've liked from the first listen. Usually it takes time for cd's to grow on me. All in all, I highly recommend Casting Crowns. I look forward to watching them grow as a band in the future.

Awesome!
I heard the song 'If we are the body' a while ago. I liked the song a lot, but I never got around to buying the cd. Yesterday I heard the song 'Who I am' on the radio. I loved it! Then my drama team at church, we were coming up with new ideas for dramas, and one of the songs that our leader had an idea for was 'What if his people prayed' I fell in love with that song instantly! I went and bought the cd and I haven't stopped listening to it! I totally agree with the song...what if God's people prayed? It would be amazing!

Amazing!
I got this CD after hearing Who Am I and If We Are The Body on the radio. I was a little dubious at first, this being the first CD they've put out and all, and it was the cheapest CD in the store I was at, so I figured that it wasn't moving well because it wasn't good. Boy, am I glad that I decided to buy it! Casting Crowns is an amazing album and an amazing band. What if His People Prayed is an eye-opener, and American Dream hits home all too well. Life of Praise and Here I go Again are amazing as well. The only real complaint I have is that Glory and Praise You With The Dance are way too similar. I originally thought that they were one ultra-long song, instead of two not-quite-so-long songs. All in all, more than the five stars I can give it. Worth every penny!

best cd ever!!!!
this is the best cd i have ever heard...casting crowns mixes a nice beat with some awesome lyrics...this is the one cd every person should have
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So much has been said about disco-punk's King Midas, New York musician/producer James Murphy, that it's kind of hard to believe that we've had to wait until 2005 for the debut album from his dancefloor project, LCD Soundsystem. LCD's classic triumvirate of early singles--"Losing My Edge," "Give It Up," and "Yeah"--joined the dots between punk-rock, disco, and funk in a way that hadn't been seen since the New York downtown scene of the early '80s, but these are bravely relegated to a bonus disc in favor of a suite of new material that reworks the band's influences in new, often explicit ways: take "Movement," for instance--a homage to the Fall that finds Murphy barking "It's a fat guy/ In a T-shirt/ Doing all the singing!" over punchy analog synths, or the quietly majestic "Great Release," a doff of the cap to Brian Eno circa Taking Tiger Mountain. For all his encyclopedic musical knowledge, however, it's one of Murphy's strengths that he seldom seems uptight about the practice of music-making: it's how he can get away with penning a gonzo disco-punk number and naming it something as fantastically flippant as "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House"--and more importantly, it's why LCD Soundsystem succeeds as a splendid dance record as well as a smart intellectual exercise. --Louis Pattison ... Read more

Are You Gonna be my Girl? (sounds similar to Iggy Pop's Lust for Life)Rollover DJCold Hard BitchGet Me Out of HereGet What You Need (sound familar to any Rolling Stones' fans?)

Jet, part of the old-school rock revival (along with the Vines, the Darkness and others), has crafted an excellent album in Get Born. It has good guitar riffs, an excellent mixing job, and a good balance between hard rocking songs and soft, gentle ballads. Get Born draws influences from many sources, including AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Doors, and Iggy Pop. The end result is an album that is both a refreshing break from the nu-metal/pop-punk heavy rock scene of today and a tribute of sorts to the rock bands of the '60s and '70s. I would highly recommend, if you are a fan of old school rock or just rock music in general, that you should pick up a copy of Get Born.

Jet Is Here!!
Perhaps it is unfair to simply label Jet as a garage rock band. After all, this album holds a lot more variety than say, The White Stripes' Elephant does, or either of the The Strokes' albums. But unlike the Stripes, who manage to make great blues based rock and roll despite having a trained monkey on drums, Jet just sounds like 15 bad cover bands rolled all into one gigantic crappy supergroup.

Are You Gonna Be My Girl is the song that is currently garnering radio airplay, not to mention all sorts of critical acclaim. Call me crazy, but I liked this song better when it was called Lust For Life and Iggy Pop was singing it. Is this what is passing as "quality rock" right now? There's nothing better out there than this? Or are people just that eager to eat whatever radio craps out as "the next big thing?" Cause I'll tell you, Are You Gonna Be My Girl is only the beginning of the suckage and unoriginality to be found on this disc.

The only thing that is bearable on this entire album is Rollover D.J., which while as derivative as the rest of the album, at least has a big fun chorus attached to it, and some nice jangly guitar rhythms. Alas, other than this, its all downhill.

Jet-Get Born
I've read a lot of reviews that say the songs are just like old songs from old bands. And well, they are, but aparently those old songs were popular and this just proves they still are. It's a formula and Jet is just following it, and it works. What is bad is when artists try to remake a song that was popular and now it sounds bad, don't mess with the classics. I like the fast songs best,and the slow songs aren't bad. I don't listen to them because someone told me they were cool. I listen because I like it, and that's it. I had to colorize the cover art on mine though. The black and whiteness just begged to be filled in. Don't bash people cause they like a certain type of music and you don't. Anybody can listen to whatever they want.

If this is creative then the world is becoming a sad place-
I will give the jets a compliment- There music is pretty catchy and the instrumentals are very decent, if not well put together. The vocals are not all that good, they can sing better than me- not that that is saying much. I would have rated the band 3 stars, if they had better lyrics that were more original, creative and deep. I mean- Are you gonna be my girl and Rollover D.J, come on guys don't you have anything better to sing about? Well the one thing that I despise of is that when you listen to The Jets for a long time it starts to disgust you how sexist they are! Some of the comments they make really makes me lose respect for them."Well it's a 123 take my hand and come with me.Is it cause you look so fine that i really wanna make you mine?I said you look so fine that I really want to make you mine." That just sounds really offensive, is he talking about a prostitute? Very disrespectful to women in my opinion.

Unfair Jet bashing
Unfortunately Jet have become the new band to bash in certain circles for no good reason other than the fact that they are successful. It's gotten to the point where I've been asked if I was a Jet fan and my integrity as a music fan was at stake based on my answer. It's alright to not like a band but the endless bagging of Jet i've witness is ridiculous.

All I've got to say is don't dismiss this band because people with a holier than thou attitude say they are fake. There's some good stuff on this album.
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Three albums into Tegan & Sara's career, it's still somehow necessary to get a couple of facts about them out of the way before diving into their latest offering. They are, yes, identical twin lesbians, and they do occupy the space--more like a vacuum, really--between the riot-grrl menace of Sleater-Kinney and the un-fun folk of Indigo Girls. That out of the way, So Jealous is the duo's best disc yet, meriting more than the mainstream notice that has so far evaded it. All the components are in place: a beyond synthy, full-throttle band, including John Collins and David Carswell of New Pornographers, and songwriting so honest as to make a person--any person--check to make sure no one has been snooping in her diary ("I won't mistake you for problems with me/I won't let my moods ruin this you'll see," from "I Won't Be Left"). The vibe is early-80s pop-punky (Tegan & Sara's singing can sound like Missing Persons' minus the squeals) spiked with a rock'n'roll edge--if the title track were noisier, it might sound at home on a Yeah Yeah Yeahs disc. Destined for hugeness, if only in indie circles for now, Tegan & Sara provide something crucial for pop princesses to be So Jealous of, and that's genuine talent. --Tammy La Gorce ... Read more

Take one part Ramones, one part Buzzcocks, and one part Husker Du, and you've got the basic foundation of Green Day, a punky, witty, melodic San Francisco Bay area trio who became overnight stars in 1994 when this album, their third overall release and major label debut, catapulted them to the top of the pop charts. Led by guitarist/vocalist Billie Joe Armstrong and their secret weapon, powerhouse drummer Tre Cool, Green Day put '70s and '80s punk in a compact '90s package with songs like "Longview," "Basket Case," "Pulling Teeth," and the hit semi-ballad, "When I Come Around." One the few modern alternative rock bands with a bona fide sense of humor. --Billy Altman ... Read more

Reviews (376)

A review of the brilliant Dookie (Green Day) by Daniel Bland
The album starts with the wonderful 'Burnout', which has a certain energy about it which makes you want to play it over and over again. 'Having a blast', has an addictive drum beat, and Billie Joe's punky voice adds that special touch. Billie Joe's lyrics are very modest in the 3rd song, 'chump', and towards the end there is a wonderful piece of music, without singing, which I love. 'Longview' has a lovely variety, with the majority of it being slow, and a great heavier chorus. 'Welcome to paradise's'brilliant chord structure possibly makes it the best track on the album. 'Pulling teeth', a slower song, but still, a superb song. Then, 'Basket case' and 'She', two similar songs - slow,fast,slow,fast. Theses songs will leave you speechless, at least until you come to 'Sassafras Roots'. Although, slightly repetitive, the parts which are repeated are excellent. On to 'When I come aroun', maybe their most famous song, maybe my favourite. Again, a slower song, ! but still, it will stick in your mind. Number 11, 'Coming clean'. A song which I found rather boring. After listening to the album a couple of times, you will skip this song and move straight on to 'Emenius sleepus'. Billie Joe, again his voice is brilliant, he's feeling sick and he wants to go home. But he'll have to wait, 2 songs left. 'In the end'. Another great song, with a supreme drum beat near the end. The last song, 'F.O.D.' The first 1 and a half minutes are very slow, and light, and then, an explosion. The music errupts. Something which has to be played at full volume. A bonus track, at the end of 'F.O.D' is 'All by myself'. Funny 6the first time, but something which is not worth waitng for. All in all a great album, and something which should not be missed

"Possibly the most influential album of its time"
In the start of a decade that looked to be filled with dance and rap as the dominating genres of that era, there was a shining glimmer of hope for fan of rock. The now legendary band from Berkeley, Green Day, released quite possibly the most influential album of its time, as it has triggered the start of many other bands in the area (Blink 182, No Use For A Name, etc.). In their release of this cd, they began their journey in the rock world, and in effective fashion:

ANALYSIS OF TRACK LISTING:1. Burnout: 4.5/5-a fast paced, distorted guitar-blaring anthem that showed how people didn't grow up, but rather just burnout out.... A great start to the album with a great drum part in the bridge

2. Having a Blast: 4/5-possibly one of their most controversial songs (next to Platypus, on nimrod), it is a song about a person who is going to kill everyone in their path.... a very catchy song

3. Chump: 4.5/5-One of the un-appreciated tracks of this cd, Chump is about hating a specific person, though you've never even see them.... the instrumental in this is very good

4. Longview: 4/5-The original and only tribute to masturbation to date (at least to my knowledge).... despite it's widespread appeal, you may grow tired of this song, due to its excessive air time on the radio.... the bass part in this song is quite good as well

5. Welcome to Paradise: 4.5/5-A re-release track from their Lookout! Records release, kerplunk!, this track is about a young man who ventures away from home and eventually finds himself in paradise.... one of the best bass solo's i have ever heard

6. Pulling Teeth: 3.5/5-A slower-paced song, highlighting a true event of being busted up by the one you love (Mike Dirnt had both of his elbows broken while having a pillow fight with his wife Anastacia).... good, but a little bit too slow for my taste

7. Basket Case: 5/5-Quite possibly one of the best songs of all time, this song focuses on the mental instability of a single person and his ventures to find sanity.... A MUST LISTEN!!

8. She: 4.5/5-another great song, following up Basket Case.... it is mainly a reflective song giving advice to a girl that the person loves.... to stop yelling at them before they go insane..... Dirnt shows his talent with another great bass intro

9. Sassafras Roots: 4/5-a repetitive song that ventures the question "May I waste your time too....?" the lyrics will catch on, and don't be surprised if you end up singing it after hearing it a few times

10. When I Come Around: 4/5-a solid song, possibly their most well-known song on this album.... it is about getting somewhere that you need to be, and the one that matters knowing where to find you.... has a good guitar solo, and a solid bass and drum line

11. Coming Clean: 4.5/5-a better song than When I Come Around, it is a great increase of the pace that was held back by the previous track.... it is mainly about a person "coming clean" about being of an alternate sexual orientation.... a fun, quick and to the point song

12. Emenius Sleepus: 4.5/5-A continuation from the previous song, Billie Joe now sings how he's sick and wants to go home, since he doesn't know his friend at all anymore.... a VERY good song, as it keeps the pace of the album up as it comes begins to come to a close.....

13. In The End: 4/5-the second to last song, it provides a clear message: not liking what you see in the future and hoping that you're not dead when somethin important comes around.... it has a solid bridge yet again, and brings us into the final "official" track of the disc......

14. F.O.D. 4.5/5-the final track of the CD, it is a mellow beginning, but then a loud and very clear anthem.... it mainly just says how the person wants everyone to F.O.D., which if you listen to the song, you will figure out what it means.....

Hidden Track: All By Myself 3.5/5-a very funny track that the guys recorded while they were high in one of their friends basements.... funny, but it won't be worth the wait for much more than two times

really cool; good for any fan
Really awsome for any Green Day fan, but if you're not, step away. I, being a HUGE Green Day fan, think that you'll LOVE most of these songs, I recomend "Pulling Teeth","Basket Case", "Longveiw" and "Welcome to Paradise". The only song on this CD I don't LOVE is "Coming Clean", not really interesting. All really strict parents who hate cuss words as small as "crap", this is a bad CD for your kids.

The one that started it all...
the downfall of real/street punk, that is. This is when Green Day "sold out", but they were never realy punk, they and their friends at clubs had a skewed version of what punk is. They think it is about spreading peace or some sissy stuff like that, and it is not, Anarchy is the opposite of peace, it is unadulterated freedom, real, true, freedom to do whatever you want. And punk music should be noisey and aggressive. This is one of those bands(the leader, in fact) that made people think this poppy crap is punk, and almost completely killed real punk rock. If it wasn't for bands like the Casualties, punk would truely be dead, but it isn't dead, and won't die. Punk is back and it's here to stay! I HATE GREEN DAY, BUT AT LEAST THAT SISSY SONG ISN'T ON THIS!

Not Bad
Fun lightweight pop-punk. Nothing terribly interesting or in any way groundbreaking, but not horrible either. I'd burn a copy, no way would I pay for it. To call these guys punk is ridiculous. They're very mainstream in terms of attitude and desire for acceptance. If these guys had showed up at a Black Flag concert back in the day they would have had their arms and legs ripped off and thrown in a pile. This is safe enough for your 13 year old daughter and makes for a pleasant listen when driving your kids to and from soccer practice.
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For all his tattoos and bulked-up frat-boy persona, singer Bradley Nowell had real soul, which made his fatal heroin overdose even more tragic. There's more to this Long Beach, California, trio's debut, released shortly after Nowell's death in 1996, than white suburban punks imitating Jamaican ska music. The band comes up with great songs, notably the catchy MTV hit "What I Got"; spooky dub-reggae undertones, produced by the Butthole Surfers' Paul Leary, to go with the snappy horns; and surprisingly progressive lyrics that attack sexism and other social ills, especially on "Wrong Way." Like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Fishbone, obvious forebears, Sublime become slightly tiresome after 17 songs, but the band is great in short doses. --Steve Knopper ... Read more

Reviews (366)

ONE OF THE GREATEST CDs OF ALL TIME
If you haven't heard Sublime before, I suggest buying this CD. It's full of ska, reggae, punk, rap, and hip-hop. All of the songs are great, energetic, and they all sound different. This is how I would rate each song:(1)Garden Grove:A++ (2)What I Got:A+ (3)Wrong Way:A+(4)Same In The End:A+ (5)April 26, 1992:A+(6)Santeria:A+(7)Seed:A+(8)Jailhouse:A(9)Pawn Shop:A(10)Paddle Out:A(11)Balled Of Johny Butt:A(12)Burritos:A(13)Under My Voodoo:A(14)Get Ready:A(15)Caress Me Down:A+(16)What I Got(reprise):A(17)Doin' Time:A+

This is the last CD that Sublime made before Brad passed away, and it's one of their best. It's to bad he went away at the height of their success, but he new some day he would "lose the war".-Pool Shark

R.I.P. Brad Nowell

RADIO HIITS, WHO CARES, STILL A GREAT CD!!
I don't get why some people will give a cd a lower rating cause it gets radio play. You shouldn't like or dis-like a cd cause some of its songs on the radio. Anyway i'm a huge Sublime and own all there cd's (execpt stand by your van) I think this cd doesn't get enough credit just because excellent songs like what i got, wrong way, santeria and doin time are played on the radio. It also holds some other gems like Garden Grove, April 29, 1992 (Miami) which has a great story line, Same in the end, Burritos, Get Ready and Caress Me Down. The best song has to be what i got (reprise) when you listen to it just makes u feel good. In my oppion this is Sublimes second best album behind 40 oz to freedom, but it is still great.......... mad love out to lou dog and RIP BRAD..........PEACE!!!!!!!!

Bradley Nowell sounds even better now that he's Dead.
"Sublime" is one of my favorite albums of all time and it is by far the best Sublime record. Listening to "Sublime" is like the equivelant to watching an episode of Cops. There are songs about prostitutes, pawn shops, weed, race riots, and guns. All good fun!Some highlights are:"Garden Grove"- I like when Bradley goes through the list of reasons why his soul is unsound."Same in the End"- Totally rocks."Seed"- Totally rocks too."Burritos"- Should have been another single.

You'll love this
No matter what type of music you listen to,you WILL like this.Trust me.This is one of the only CD's I can listen to over and over and not get tired of.Some of the best tracks would have to be "What I got","Seed","Santeria",and "Wrong Way" are the best tracks on the cd.There's a serious point in all the songs,but the it's so inresting and catchy,you don't even notice.You'll love it so just buy it.

no band can compare
Sublime is just one of those bands that can't be compared to or imitated by anyone. Brad had a great gift with not only lyrics but amazing vocals. This CD especially shows sublime had true musical talent and wasn't imitating anyone like most rock bands are today. Every song on here is good and each song shows how many different kinds of music sublime could combine into one CD, rock/rap/punk/reggae/ska. This cd and 40 oz to freedom are by far the best 2 sublime cd's out there. RIP brad and your music lives on.
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Green Day takes the title International Superhits literally,offering a no-surprises compilation of all the songs that made a big dent oncommercial radio. From the pop-punk heroes' breakthrough album Dookie ("Longview," "Welcome toParadise") through Insomniac ("Brain Stew"), Nimrod ("Good Riddance [Time ofYour Life]"), and Warning("Minority"), if a record produced a hit, that song is on this album. There areonly two new tracks on the Superhits (both recorded a couple of monthsbefore the album's release)--the spazzed out rock & roll singalong "Maria" andthe puppy-dog love of "Poprocks & Coke." Because International Superhitsdoesn't pull from Green Day's early EPs and Lookout albums or offer any livevariations, though, this album is really only one for the serious-mindedcollectors who don't want to skip past a single Green Day release.-- Jennifer Maerz ... Read more

Reviews (142)

Green Day has always been my favorite band.
I've always loved Green Day, who were at their peak in 1994 and enjoyed many other hits afterwards, including Brain Stew, Good Riddance (Time of Your Life), and Minority. Even with an album that only came out less than two years ago (Warning), Green Day is getting less and less recognition. With newer pop-punk bands such as Blink 182, Sum 41 and New Found Glory becoming more popular, Green Day has been ignored.

Let's get to the point. International Superhits is great for the casual listener, or just someone who wants to rediscover them. But unless you desperately want to hear Maria and Poprocks and Coke (which are decent songs), or J.A.R, I wouldn't recommend this to the fan who already has all of their Reprise releases. Unless you want a good cd to listen to all the way through, which this certainly is.

The songs are all good! There is not one song I can't listen to...truthfully, there isn't one song I don't like by Green Day. The two new songs, as previously mentioned, are both good...the catchy, but somewhat repetitive Maria, and the poppy love song of Poprocks and Coke, but they're not much compared to the others. You'll get every Green Day hit on this CD, from their first single (and possibly one of their best songs) Longview, to the timeless classic Good Riddance, to the melodic Waiting, the somewhat harsher Geek Stink Breath and Brain Stew, and the lesser known Walking Contradiction and She...they're all here. Green Day is a fun band to listen to, and this is a nice representation of them.

One thing that slightly peeved me is that there are no songs from their Lookout releases on here. I can't say I liked 1039 SOSH, but Kerplunk is my second favorite (after Nimrod). Beware! When you buy this, you're not getting the full Green Day experience...there are great songs such as Going to Pasalacqua, 2000 Light Years Away, Christie Road, and many others that aren't on here!

Oh yeah, if you want more Green Day, check out all 6 of their albums, you'll find some good songs that weren't played on the radio. They include, but aren't limited to, 86, Stuart and The Ave., Westbound Sign, Scattered, Jinx/Haushinka, Prosthetic Head ... Castaway, and Misery. ...

If you're that person who has heard songs like Longview and Good Riddance on the radio and liked them, but has never bought a Green Day release, by all means BUY THIS! Green Day fans with the entire collection, you may not want to get this unless you need something to top it all off or are just mad for the song J.A.R.

And J.A.R is a great song.

Green Day's best CD
Of course this is Green Day's best CD because it is a greatest hits CD. The album has all of their best songs , but I am a little disappointed that it had no songs from 'Kerplunk!' or '1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours', but never the less, all of the songs on the album are 'superhits' and it just reminds you what a good band Green Day are.

1. Maria

2. Poprocks & Coke

3. Longview

4. Welcome To Paradise

5. Basket Case

6. When I Come Around

7. She

8. J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva)

9. Geek Stink Breath

10. Brain Stew

11. Jaded

12. Walking Contradiction

13. Stuck With Me

14. Hitchin' a Ride

15. Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)

16. Redundant

17. Nice Guys Finish Last

18. Minority

19. Warning

20. Waiting

21. Macy's Day Parade

As you can see, most of Green Day's best songs and definitely worth buying. This album is definitely Green Day's best because the songs are better than the songs on 'Nimrod', 'Insomniac' and even 'Dookie'.

True Superhits
IF you are a punk rock fan, Green Day is your band. They are absolutely amazing and always will be. First of all, Billie-Joe Armstrong is a true rock revolutionary. He has and an unmistakable voice that will be recognized everywhere. His guitar skills are also quite accomplished. Mike "Dirnt" is by far the best bassist out there today. He is absolutely amazing. He plays the bass guitar like he is soloing on a normal electric guitar. Finally, the fantastic Tre Cool on drums. Another one of the best in his field. If you listen to the drums in the background, you will be blown away at how good he is.
International Superhits is by far their best CD yet, and it should be since it is a Greatest Hits album. Everyone of these 21 songs deserves to be on this CD and totally kicks ass. The CD starts out with two new tracks that are just as good as the rest. If you are a newcomer to green day, a casual fan, or even if you have all of their CD's, I recomend this CD. Every fan of Punk Rock or any type of Rock music for that matter should go out and buy this CD

Awesome
This is an excellent album for the summer's travels and just great for putting into your cd player and not having to skip every few songs. This album had all their hits and I fell in love with ALL of them. From the energetic and wonderful Maria to the most beautiful song Macy's Day Parade, this compilation is 21 of the best songs around. A must have for a Green Day fan or someone who has heard classics like Basket Case or Good Riddnance and want to see what this band is really made of.

Best Green Day CD Ever
hey guys, this cd is the best green day cd ever. just buy it, its awesome! its got ur fav, walking contradiction,when i come around, Longview, basketcase and much more! this cd rox and is one of the best punk rock bands i've heard. get ur copy now...
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Bursting at the seams with creative energy, the Clash's stunning 1979 double album more than made up for the artistic and commercial disappointment of its predecessor, 1978's tried-too-hard Give 'Em Enough Rope. With ex-Mott the Hoople producer Guy Stevens harnessing their sound as never before, the band yielded what proved to be the best work of their career. Bouncing from hard rock (the apocalyptic vision of the title track) to rockabilly ("Brand New Cadillac") to reggae ("Rudy Can't Fail") topop (the Top 40 hit "Train in Vain"), the Clash knocked down all musical walls and, in the process, ended the argument over punk's viability in the U.S. --Billy Altman ... Read more

Reviews (310)

must have for any music collection
The cover is a copy of Elvis Presley's first studio album -showing that the Clash meant to change things.The Sex pistols divided the history of rock and roll in half and this album meant to set the record straight the the next era of rock and roll was personal. I think no other album set such lofty sights since sargents peppers and no other recording has taken itself higher. Sorry Beatles this is the greatest album of all time bar none. Joe strummers voice is amazing.As it mixes with the more polished Mick Jones, it set a new standard for dueling rock singers. London Calling sets the record off " London Calling to the far away lands/ now war is discovered and battles coming down" the hopelessness of 30% unemployment in london and the threat of nuclear war on the youth of the world with out a say in their own future. "london is drowning/ and I live by the river" I remember putting on album one and was still in my room (at 16) 7 hours later listening to this gem of a recording. By favorite tracks are Hateful about a drug addict and his dealer.Clampdown about apartied in South Africa(years before MTV and Paul Simmon thought it was cool to deal with).All lost in the supermarket about feeling lost and out of place in your own world.Revolution Rock great raggae song. Spanish Bombs and Lovers rock about taking responsiblity for your sex life.All pretty heady subjects for a rock group, but the clash took their fans seriously and with respect. Listening to this album was a revolution battle cry for the 80's of Reagan and the arms race at any cost.

One of the top 5 albums ever - period
Here are the top 5 albums in the history of rock and roll. 1. The Beatles- Revolver 2. The Beach Boys- Pet Sounds 3. Bob Dylan- Blonde on Blonde 4. The Beatles- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 5. The Clash- London Calling

That's no misprint, this album is THAT good. Every single song is just plain amazing on this album, from the raw punk power of "London Calling," to the rockabilly of "Brand New Cadillac," to the introspection of "Lost in the Supermarket," the rhythm of "Rudie Can't Fail," and the pop genius of "Train in Vain," this album is bursting with styles and makes up the ultimate rock record, blending punk, pop, reggae, and rock together and making a sound so full of joy and purpose, it hasn't been reproduced since. Why this band seems to be forgotten, I have no idea, but just remember that the real slayers of stupid hair rock started the battle in 1977, and triumphed with this album in 1979, paving the way for intelligent rock in the 80's and alt rock in the 90's. I just can't say enough about this album, whenever I put it in, I end up listening to the whole thing, this album is perfect, amazing, inspiring, and rock at it's finest. Any serious music fan who does not have this album should be ashamed of themselves, this is the BEST album to come out of the 1970s (Yes, it's better than Zeppelin IV, Songs in the Key of Life, Imagine, Exile on Main Street, and Never Mind the Bullocks to name a few). Please, buy this album, or at least take a listen on the site, it's catchy, full of raw emotion. There is a song for every mood, and yet its cohesive as a celebration of life, and rock n roll. Daring, and beautiful, London Calling is one of the top 5 albums of all time, buy this NOW!!!!!!!!!

One of the best punk albums EVER!
London Calling from the Clash is the basis for any punk music. They even had some reggae styles in songs like Guns of Brixton, Rudie Can't Fail, and Revolution Rock. This whole album is solid with a statement. Well worth the money.

'That's so punk rock.'
Jack Black spouts this in the recent film, 'School of Rock', as he sees school kids taking over a bus, and it's funny to many people, but some may scratch their heads. Why? Simply because the image of punk rock today is so distorted. It's albums like this where you really see how trashed the name punk became and what the hell IS punk rock.

'London Calling' is a vertebrae for all that is different in the genre so aptly labeled, punk. It has a melodic rock sound, it has reggae/rhythmic vibes, and it's definitely not the same each time around. Strummer Inc. made something that was basically a road sign that took you off the main highway. From the title track forward, the album is a raw slam with lessons and literature.

From 'Guns of Brixton' to 'Rudie Can't Fail', I mean, where do you not see difference? When everyone mentions punk and the godfathers behind it, they never mention Bowie, The Who, or even Cash, they always mention the now brothers and siblings of punk, Ramones and Sex Pistols. What makes The Clash so different from them is that this isn't the usual taste of punk, it's rock and roll daring to be different...which is what punk is in general. If everyone's wearing greasy hair, the kid with the hat is more punk rock than the bar chords of today.

See that's why 'London Calling' is so exceptional. It's such a farce in today's standards that punk rock is the ridiculous truckers' hats sideways and the shorts all mocked up;in actuality it's a fad that everyone does, contradicting what it is! It's laughable if you know where I'm coming from. In conclusion, punk rock is rare...and it's certainly not what it's called today. You want originality, theory, and difference? 'London Calling' is, no pun intended, your calling.

Exceptional is an understatement.

another worthless blurb about a masterpiece
the best album i've bought since the strokes, and when it comes down to it, so much better than the strokes it ain't even funny. this band sired the strokes. i've never been a big punk fan, but this isn't punk...it's way better than just that. this album covers just about every music genre there is, opera and country aside. absolutely amazing...not a single poor track on the entire record--and it's loooong. it came out the year i was born, 1979, and i have no idea why it hasn't gotten more credit outside the punk community. i mean, all the critics loved it, and still do, and it's considered classic, but it's also very accessible, immediately affecting/inspiring. so good. favorite tracks: "rudie can't fail," "hateful," "train and vain,"...the last one of which you've probably all heard, whether you know it or not.

easily one of the greatest albums ever released by any band in any genre, during any decade.
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For a hip, modern boy, Louis XIV's Jason Hill has plenty of old school rock star attitude. On his San Diego trio's debut album he declares himself a "weapon of mass destruction" and then backs it up with salacious come-ons meant to offend as they intrigue ("I know you want a strangle / Or a mouthful of gasoline / Or to be tied up and stoned"). Lyrical allusions to T. Rex and the Kinks tell only part of Louis XIV's actual musical journey. Hill may fancy Marc Bolan and Ray Davies as elegant dandies, and occasionally borrow their lightweight shuffles to great effect. However, his own proper terrain is the thorny inquisition of the Fall's Mark E. Smith. Here, his band throttles in kind, motoring a cantankerous rhythm section that's every bit as vicious as fellow modern day malcontents the Libertines or White Stripes.--Jaan Uhelszki ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Kick ass record.
Everyone by now has heard "True Love is Blind."I saw the xxx video for Paper Doll with models from Suicide Girls and I was immediately hooked.You can find it on the net if you haven't seen it.

This is the best beginning to end album I've heard for a while.

Finally, a Great Modern Rock Band
Good rock bands today are few and far between.A genre which used to be filled to the brim with excellent bands during the 60's and 70's has since fallen in the hands whiney, boring, and untalented bands such as Good Charolette and Blink 182, and has for the most part driven me to listen to underground and obscure bands just in order to listen to something I find good.But a select few bands, Jet, The Darkness, Velvet Revolver, and my new favorite band (and the band in question here), Louis XIV are coming out now and delivering rock and roll the way it was meant to be to the masses.

Louis XIV do one major thing that I think is so wrong with the music industry today - they have fun.So many bands today are Kurt Cobain-worshiping, depressed, carbon copies of each other who have no personality or desire to have fun, its all seriousness for them.However, you can tell that Louis XIV truly are having a good time making their music.They're lyrics are about what actually good rock lyrics are about - girls, girls, girls.Not death or depression, but girls.What a concept, huh Slipknot?

The other thing that I think is missing in today's music is solos.And if you want to listen to those, I think that you would be better off listening to Velvet Revolver, or especially the Darkness.But Louis XIV have got their fair share of them, even if they aren't as long or as intricate as I would like them to be.

The bottom line is, if you like actually good, fun music and not the dark, depressed music that there's so much abundance in today, definitely pick this one up.

Rock LIVES ON!
I saw a video for "Finding Out True Love Is Blind", and
was HOOKED immediately. I bought the disc THAT DAY!
I don't do that often. Louis XIV takes me back to the GREAT DAYS of ROCK whenRock music was ROUGH, and very RAW. Back before Disney created bands, and RoCK became COMMERCIAL.
I'm a White Stripes fan too, but this is the first disc I've bought in awhile where EVERY song sounded GREAT. Enjoy!

The lost White Stripes debut album?????
Well Im gonna share this little secret:BUY THIS ALBUM!!!!!You won't be disappointed.You want hooks?"Finding Out...", "Letter...", "Pledge Of Allegiance"You want sarcastic so-great-thought-it-was-White-Stripes sound? "Paper Dolls", "God Save Queen", "Illegal Tender"And for that must haveballad?The melancholy "Little Pieces" sounds like it was written by Robert Plant in a foggy daze in the 60's. Don't keep this a secret!!!!!

Makes Mommy Wanna Rock
Okay, so I've been a stay-at-home mom for the past 3 years, and have been guilty of not keeping up too much on the current music scene. I mean, I USED to rock hard, but not lately. This band makes me turn it up loud, even with the baby in the backseat.Sexed-up, funny, rockin', decadent...Bowie, T. Rex, the Sweet, etc. etc.Those are the obvious influences, but boy, does it sound fresh to these ears, bored to livin' death with all the stupid, whiny stuff on the air these days.

And, for the record, I happened to love the silly mock-Brit accents. "Sing me a song, and bang me like the girls in Hong Kong."Oh yeah, baby.
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This band's aging nicely....
Ten years after their debut, surprisingly, No Doubt is still around. Who would have thought? Their original sound was so...early 1990's....I would have figured that they would have died out with the grunge era. Boy, was I mistaken! Gwen and company have learned the secret to success: keep your sound fresh while still containing some of the original elements of your music. What No Doubt has done in the past decade is shown how a band can age gracefully, changing their sound as they go, and having a good time doing it. There are some instant classics on this compilation, namely "Don't Speak". But, don't overlook "I'm Just A Girl", "Spiderwebs", or "Ex-Girlfriend" either. All of these songs are great. Of course, the new hit "It's My Life" makes me think back to the early 80s new wave craze...and who knows...maybe No Doubt is the harbinger of a resurgence in that genre of music! In any case, this CD is a wonderful addition to your collection. Get for your living room...get it for the car...get it for everwhere!

A Good No Doubt "Starter Kit"
No Doubt wisely didn't name this CD "Greatest Hits", because only about 6 of the 15 songs on here were bonafide hits. They also were smart not to call it "Best Of No Doubt", because few of the songs on here are really the best No Doubt has to offer. Most of their finest material can be found on their albums, especially Return of Saturn and Tragic Kingdom. Nevertheless, this album is exactly what it claims to be: a collection of all the singles No Doubt has officially released between 1992 and 2003. The standouts range from the recent: the new single, a quality rock-driven cover of Talk Talk's "It's My Life", and Rock Steady's "Hella Good"; to the obvious: their biggest hits, "Don't Speak", "Just A Girl", and "Spiderwebs" from their most popular album, Tragic Kingdom; to the underrated: "Ex-Girlfriend", "New", and "Simple Kind of Life" from the woefully overlooked Return of Saturn.

Chances are if you are buying this, you are either a No Doubt fanatic who buys everything they release (such as myself), or you are a casual fan, who knows a few of their radio songs and want them on one disc. To the hardcore fans: buy Boombox instead: you get this CD, a b-sides and rarities CD, all their videos on DVD, and Live In The Tragic Kingdom on DVD. All this for less than $50! If you are a casual fan, don't let your No Doubt collection stop here: buy all 5 of their albums (1992's No Doubt, 1995's Beacon Street Collection, 1995's Tragic Kingom, 2000's Return of Saturn, and 2001's Rock Steady). You will not regret it. Listen to how this great band has evolved over the years--from the ska-driven band they were in in the late 80's and early 90's (as demonstrated on "Trapped In A Box", included here)to the innovative New Wave/Pop-Rock band they are today.

A great way to get into this excellent band.

No Doubt About It
As I was loading the songs of The Singles 1992-2003 onto my computer, I realized something - this was the first CD that I had ever given every song a five-star rating in iTunes. This isn't just a set of singles from over the last 12 years - it's also really, really good music.

Every song here has some of the smartest lyrics you will ever find in music, as well as the most memorable themes. Take "Don't Speak" - in an era when every singer asked their ex-lover what had gone wrong, Gwen Stefani pleaded, "Don't speak, don't tell me because it hurts." My favorite song on this CD (and favorite song, period) is the catchy, unforgettable "Just A Girl". "Trapped In A Box" is the weakest track in the way of singing, but its smart lyrics make up for it. "Simple Kind of Life" channels reflective sadness, while "Hella Good" and "Hey Baby" are party songs to the core. "New" can be only described by the word 'fresh'. "Ex-Girlfriend" is all of it a high-powered bass riff. "Excuse Me Mr." is an even more frantic plea for attention and respect.

If you can buy just one CD, make it this one. If you're not quite sure about investing in a No Doubt album, buy this collection. Listen, and not only will you want ND's other five CDs, you'll know why fans will buy The Singles just for its new track, the '80s remake "It's My Life". It's well worth every one of its 59 minutes and 37 seconds.

amazing album, stupid idiot review!
I was appalled to see one idiots review of this album giving Bathwater and new 0/10 and 4/10 to trapped in a box. I have to say that i think trapped in a box is an amazing song, its one of the most intellegent and unique songs out there. If you don't understand the song you shouldn't bash it in your idiotic review. ( I HAVE ALREADY WRITTEN A REVIEW THIS IS JUST BECAUSE IM ANGRY AT THIS IDIOT) :)

i loved this
No Doubt have such a varied compliation on this album its unbelieveable but brilliantly brilliant! From hard rock, to hip hop pop right through to a little rap, some regee and some show tune! One song I found mesmerising was Trapped in a Box, i felt something about it that was like the songs in rocky horror picture show. Such a unique song. I'm just a girl is a great song, I've always loved Gwens voice its very unique and unlike any other voices. My favourite song on the album is very difficult to say because I adored everything. And They haven't let us down with the most recent, It's my life which is one of my favourite songs of all time. All and all this was one hell of an album. Don't stop there No DOubt keep them coming. You truely would be in need of medical care if you did not like this. BUY IT.
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Inevitably labeled "pop punk," Simple Plan's sophomore album finds the Montreal quintet settling in as a straight-ahead rock band. Yes, lyrically, their concerns remain grounded in the adolescent petulance and alienation of classic punk. They're "the ones you love to hate." "You don't know what it's like to be me," they insist. "We're the kids that you pushed away," they huff. Musically, however, the follow-up to 2002's popular No Pads, No Helmets Just Balls finds the band moving toward a strain of radio-friendly rock that owes less and less to the punk canon. Opener (and album highlight) "Shut Up!" "Me Against the World," and "Perfect World" boast sweeping choruses and Pierre Bouvier's spit-in-your-eye vocals. But strings creep into "Welcome to My Life" and the closer, "Untitled," is a heart-on-his-sleeve piano lament that owes more to Night Ranger than the Ramones. This one will appeal to fans who prefer the "pop" side of the "pop punk" equation. --Steven Stolder ... Read more

Wow
When Cedrick and Omar left At The Drive-In at the brink of stardom many people thought they had lost their minds. At the Drive-In had achieved a rare combination of commercial and critical success and several music publications had pegged them as the next Nirvana. Nevertheless Cedrick and Omar knew they could never create the music they desired to create in that setting. After breaking up ATDI they assembled a cast of supermusicians and consolidated under the name The Mars Volta. Their debut album Deloused in the Comatorium attests to the power of their creative vision. A stunning fusion of Post-Hardcore, Prog-Rock, Free-Jazz, Classic Rock, and Salsa; it could be the most revolutionary rock album since Radiohead's Ok Computer. The visceral energy and creative songwriting of ATDI remain, however the standard Post-Hardcore backdrop has been replaced with a style all their own. The emotional and intelligent themes of their past work also remain. The entire album is a tribute the the late Julio Venegas, a close friend of the band who commited suicide in 1996. It is a fictional account of the visions he possibly experienced in a coma following a failed suicide attempt, however the lyrics are often abstract and it is possible to derive your own meaning from them. This is a must-buy for any fan of quality music.

A Breath Of Fresh Air
Finally, a cd I don't mind spending my hard earned money on! I can't stop listening to this disc. I have been so bored with all of the "wanna be / sound like that band" crap that I kind of gave up on the music biz. Mars Volta really doesn't bring anything new to the music arena. They've done a great job reinventing prog-rock. They've taken Yes' "Close To The Edge" album and added a harder edge, some latin rhythm flavoring, and a live feel I have not heard on any recording in a while. When I listen to this record, I get the feeling that I'm at their live show. I can't wait to see them tonight (they will be in town tonight). At The Drive In was good. Mars Volta, to me, is better. With the addition of Red Hot Chili Pepper's Flea on bass, this collection of songs is something not to be missed. Flea is excellent on this one. If you're a drummer, like me, you owe it to yourself to check the drummer out. BUY THIS CD!!!!!!

Well...I'm De-Loused
Let me Preface this review by saying this is my favorite CD I own. That being said, It still gets 4 stars, not 5. While the band is enormously talented, the production is over the top. This really shows through in "Cicatriz ESP". The song starts and ends strong, but whats with the 3 or 4 minutes of ambient noise in the middle? I also am a strong believer that, while the lyrics have a cool sound, they are absolutely there as a formality; and no one, including the writer, really understands what phrases like "Exoskeletal junction at raliroad delay" really means. The Vocals are absolutely fantastic. That man has an amazing range. Theres some amazing fast pitched tempo changes such as on "Drunkship of Lanterns". All in all its a fantastic cd if you don't mind a little over-indulgence on the writer and producers part.

Effort Appreciated
To quote another review, I appreciate what The Mars Volta is trying to do here. But the fact of the matter is that it's not easy listening.

When I first heard this CD, I thought the people who recommended it to me had gone insane. It sounded awful. But I decided to keep coming back to it every once in a while, as I am a big fan of concept works and I could tell the band had put a lot of thought and effort into the project.

Gradually, I started to like a few of the tracks - Televators, Son Et Lumiere, and Inertiatic ESP. These kept bringing me back, and from there I began to appreciate a few of the others. The only songs I still don't "get" are This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed and Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt.

Anyway. The point here is that while the songs definitely require some adjusting to, the album as a whole is a coherent, focused work. And I like that. Especially when most bands just seem to throw twelve unrelated tracks on a CD and call it an album. That's why I give this album five stars: it's unique, creative, and inspired. And that's a lot more than 90% of the bands around today can say.

Emo band discovers Prog
Neil Peart of Rush plugged these guys in the recent Drum! Magazine (along with Porcupine Tree), so I figured I check them out. It's pretty high-energy, sort of spastic music, which sounds like a cross between Elliott, Cave-In, and King Crimson. I expected better drumming, given the recommendation, but it's serviceable. The third song "Roulette Dares" even has a Rush homage at 2:02 minutes (YYZ). The guitar-work is the real strength, but there are so many Robert Fripp-sounding riffs throughout the album that I'm undecided as to whether it's cool or just derivative.

As a whole, the cd is somewhat erratic, the songs don't "build" structurally so much as do the Nirvana loud-soft, fast-slow modulation, but sometimes the music just gels, as in song #10 "Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt", which even manages a Corea-esque jazz feel.
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The road to success is not an easy one - but some handle its hurdles better than others.In 2001 Jimmy Eat World was a widely adored but criminally underappreciated band capable of drawing capacity crowds all over the world, but unable to find a record deal to their liking.Having just been unceremoniously spit out of the major label machinery, the band opted to record a new album entirely on its own dime and let labels come a-calling.The gambit more than paid off, with the resultant Bleed America (later re-titled Jimmy Eat World), yielding the hits "The Middle" and "Sweetness," and ultimately selling over 1.4 million copies in the U.S.By the time two full years of touring had wound down, they'd made triumphant breakthroughs everywhere from Saturday Night Live, being nominated for an MTV Video Music Award and topping, "Best Of" lists at Blender, Alternative Press, SPIN, USA Today, People and Rolling Stone to name a few.Not bad for a little band from Mesa! , Arizona.But then came the problem once all your rock dreams come true, what do you do for an encore? The band's new album, Futures, is the answer to that question.It's a sprawling, gorgeous, heavy-yet-quiet epic with songs ranging from ambitious hard rock to epic ballads.With the hard driving first single "Pain" kicking off the campaign to the beautifully constructed follow up single "Work," Futures is perhaps the best sounding record in Jimmy Eat World's career. ... Read more

After flirting with heavy guitar rock ("The Man Who Sold the World") and lighter pop ("Hunky Dory"), Bowie found middle ground on Ziggy Stardust. The creation of the Ziggy Stardust persona would live on well after Bowie shed the alien skin, marking the first rock concept album by a sexually ambiguous, artistically bent musician who confounded critics at every turn. A blend of dramatic strings, swaggering saxophones, jagged guitars, and theatrical arrangements, the album's darker rock numbers like "It Ain't Easy," "Moonage Daydream," "Ziggy Stardust," and the irresistible "Suffragette City," still serve as solid excursions into the future (then and now) of rock. The buoyant "Hang on to Yourself" and the dreamy "Star" offer hints of optimism in Ziggy's bleak world. The dramatic "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" and the image-heavy "Star Man" ("he'd like to come and meet us but thinks he'd blow our minds!") no doubt provided plenty of stage-worthy moments when Ziggy toured in the '70s, but years later they still thrill. Bowie blew our minds!--Lorry Fleming ... Read more

Reviews (117)

Starman or Candyman?
For some reason Ziggy Stardust is always referred to as a concept album. But let's track that plot for a second: the world's going to end in five years, so a starman becomes a rock star and then commits suicide. O-kay, Dave, that's a story with mythic resonance. So let's face facts. There's a reason this has never been made into a movie: it's a concept album lacking a unifying concept. There. The cat's out of the bag. Now let's move on, shall we?

Musically, this is an interesting album because it really demonstrates how much a strong instrumentalist can add to a song. David Bowie writes wimpy, Anthony Newley-esque showtunes - and this album is full of them - but Mick Ronson's guitar turns these slight throwaways into muscular rock anthems (of a sort). His guitar solo in Moonage Daydream makes it worth suffering through the song itself. If this album was just about Bowie and his melodramatic songcraft I'd give it maybe two stars and try to avoid ever hearing it again, but Ronson and the Spiders From Mars miraculously pull it out of the trashbin.

Let the children boogie
David Bowie's arrogant excursion into concept albums paid off handsomely with "Ziggy Stardust". Five years before the end of the earth, a space-travelling rock star called Ziggy Stardust and his band the Spiders from Mars, came to this planet to rock out. Ziggy played fantastic songs, became famous, and Ziggy killed himself. Hmmm, interesting correlation between Ziggy and Kurt Cobain? Or is that just me...David Bowie has had a long career of making fantastic albums, and though this album is his most well-known, it isn't necessarily the best one. However, there is no disputing the fantastic rock/glam/pop songs that Bowie was writing at his zenith (remember, he was producing Iggy Pop's "Raw Power" and Lou Reed's "Transformer" at this time). An essential part of rock history that spawned countless imitators, but never an equal. Don't lean on him man, cuz you can't afford the ticket.

One of Bowie's finest efforts
The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars (1972.) David Bowie's fifth album.

By the time 1972 came into being, David Bowie had already experimented with more musical sounds than most artists end up experimenting with in their entire careers! His 1967 self-titled debut featured oldies-style pop reminiscent of Donovan, 1969's Space Oddity featured somewhat of a folksy-rock sound, 1970's The Man Who Sold The World experimented with a harder rock sound in many places, and 1971's Hunky Dory experimented with the popular pop stylings of that era. Although these were all good albums, it was pretty obvious that Bowie had yet to discover his sound. It was in 1972 that Bowie switched over to the subgenre of rock that would make him a living legend - classic glam rock. 1972 featured the release of what would be his biggest album released to the time - The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars (could he have possibly come up with a longer title?) Would his first attempt at glam rock be an earth-shattering success, or would it leave Bowie out in the cold? Read on for my review.

This was David Bowie's first true five-star album. Some musical artists come of age as soon as their career starts, but some of them are seriously late bloomers. David Bowie is a late bloomer, but after listening to this album, you'll agree - it was worth sitting through four mediocre albums just to be able to hear this one! Two huge hits emerged from this album, the most obvious one of which being the title track. This is a stripped-down, acoustic track - not what you'd expect Bowie to do, but he does it excellently. The other fairly big hit is Suffragette City, one of my favorite Bowie songs of all time. It's a fast paced hard and heavy blues-based rocker with a backing piano track. Why can't every artist makes songs as cool as this one? Bowie explored many styles on his earlier albums, and this album brings all of those stylings together in perfect harmony. Many people say that this album is to the early seventies glam rock uprising what The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper was to rock and roll of the late sixties, and I agree with this. In the end, Ziggy Stardust stands as one of Bowie's crowning achievements.

This album has been released a ton of times over the years. But the three main versions of the album available (as of June 16, 2004) are the standard domestic version, the two-disc deluxe edition, and the foreign Rykodisc reissue. Dont bother with the Rykodisc reissue, it only has a couple of bonus tracks, and it isn't worth the inflated import price. If you're just getting into Bowie, the standard, single-disc edition of the album will do just fine. But if you're a big-time Bowie fan, and you want to experience some lost treasures, shell out the extra cash and get the deluxe version.

David Bowie released a number of popular albums throughought the course of the seventies, but he'd never release another Ziggy Stardust. He'd come very close with several of his releases, but this is an album all in a league of its own. If you're new to David Bowie, this album would make an excellent starting point in your collection. If you only buy one classic glam rock album this year, make it this one.

Glam Classic
The early 1970's: hippie fashion was dying, heavy metal was beginning, and the British glam rock craze was at its peak. This weird mix of pop and hard rock was all the rage at this time. And nobody did it better than David Bowie. Bowie's mix of piano, heavy guitars, and saxophones made a perfect mix. And on this album, he probably hit his peak. This is a concept album about an alien rock star who wins the hearts of all who hear his voice. Some of then tracks are really weird like the opener, Five Years, which is about the destruction of the Earth or something like that. The most pop tracks are 'Soul Love' and 'Lady Stradust'. The most rock tracks are 'Suffragette City', 'Star', and the title track. This is a glam rock classic and everyone should own it.

A Rock and Roll Classic
I'm not a huge Bowie fan, but any fan of early 70's rock should have this. Suffraget City is worth the price of admission alone, and the album is solid throughout. An easy addition to the "essential" list. The CD version sounds great, too.
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